Purple to Green

In this painting, the rectangular shapes were added last. They add a counterpoint to the curved forms, create planes in perspective and play on the idea of frames within frames. The most startling discovery for us in class, however, was the fact that the purple square became green as it crossed the purple field. (This is barely perceptible in the small image here.)
The color of the line did not change, but our perception changed. The line (L) became green (G) because the purple of the line was cooler, i.e. more blue, than the warm, reddish purple of the field(F).
We don’t see a patch of color absolutely. We see it in relation to what’s next to it.
The authority on how we see color is Josef Albers (1888-1976), who was born in Germany, taught at the Bauhaus in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin, emigrated to the US and taught at the Black Mountain School in North Carolina.

For an excellent overview of his work and dazzling examples of how color fools us, see http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/08/16/interaction-of-color-josef-albers-50th-anniversary/

Painting by Michael Quoss, oil on canvas, 30”x40”.
Josef Albers, two examples from his book, “Interaction of Color.” 1963
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